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About Chris Botti

If Chris Botti had decided not to become a musician, he probably could have been a model. With his pale skin, handsomely styled blonde hair and striking green eyes, we could picture him on just about any fashion runway in the world.

As fate would have it, however, Chris seemed destined to make the most of his talent as a performing artist. He was born in Portland, Oregon and encouraged to pursue music by his mother, a concert pianist. He was later fully immersed in the arts and culture of Italy when his family lived there for several years, and later enamored with (and obviously inspired by) Miles Davis' "My Funny Valentine."

Chris attended Indiana University and studied under the tutelage of everyone from jazz educator David Baker to trumpet teacher Bill Adam, jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw and jazz saxophonist George Coleman. He then spent his early career honing his skills in a broad range of gigs and by watching artists like Sting, Paul and Joni Mitchell.

Coming to prominence with the 2001 recording of his "Night Sessions" album, Chris has long been recognized for his ability to fuse jazz and pop music together. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 for his album, "Italia," and received four nominations in 2010 for the live album "Chris Botti in Boston." He finally captured a Grammy in the Best Pop Instrumental category in 2013. Four of his albums have reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard jazz albums chart overall.